


In These Pages

by NikAdair



Series: You're My Forever Loves [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: BokuAka Week 2020, Bookstore AU, book nerds, college students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25631689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikAdair/pseuds/NikAdair
Summary: He stood, spinning around with a rare smile. Owl Boy blinked wide eyes at him, standing just barely too close to him. He felt his face flush at the same time Owl Boy’s did, and he cleared his throat a little, taking a half step back as he readjusted the books in his arms. “These are a wonderful trilogy of books about a knight who is sent to find an object that is destined to save his kingdom from peril from the demon king. I’ve read the first one and really recommend it, and from what I’ve read about the other two, they are just as good.”Akaashi could hear the excitement in his own voice, and he bit his lip, turning his gaze to the books in his hands. He always got this way about things he liked, especially when it came to books. It was one of the reasons he loved his job. Owl Boy laughed a little, and he looked up, seeing him smiling in a way that made his heart stutter again. “I think that sounds pretty awesome. I'll definitely take them.”
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: You're My Forever Loves [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1864117
Comments: 2
Kudos: 104
Collections: BokuAka Week 2020





	In These Pages

Akaashi’s favourite part of the day was when the store first opened. Early morning light filtering in through the poster covered windows, lighting up the aisles between bookshelves and bathing them in a warm pink-orange glow. The smell of books hitting him as he walked through the doors, untainted by the little cafe in the middle of the store or the smell of people walking through the aisles. The quietness of everything that was softened even further by the books absorbing any sounds that were made.

He clocked in, throwing his hoodie and bag into a locker. He did a quick check in the mirror in the back to make sure his hair wasn’t mussed and his clothes looked neat enough before walking to the front of the store. The jankling of his keys echoed through the entrance way as he unlocked the doors, and he felt a small gust of wind when he opened them. Warmth hit him from the summer heat the wind brought with it, and he retreated back into the store.

One of the perks to opening was that he got to choose the music that played over the speakers during his shift. Akaashi went to the front counter, plugging his phone into one of the many chargers, and scrolled through his playlists before settling on one that focused on instrumental pieces written about various things in space. He smiled, listening to it. It was one of his favourites.

Akaashi did a walkthrough of the store, fixing books that had been unshelved, generally just making sure things looked nice. While on the far side of the store, he heard a group of people walk in, their voices filtering through the shelves, hushed but loud enough for their presence to be known. He walked back to the front, passing the group as he went. They hadn’t noticed him, and he used that as a moment to see who they were.

The tallest of the three was only a few inches taller than himself. He had jet black hair that stuck up in what reminded him of a rooster, and he had to stifle a laugh at that thought. He had a mischievous smirk, and it looked to Akaashi like he was scheming something while he listened to his friends. His eyes were hazel, though one was covered by his fringe. They were filled with laughter, yet still looked calculating.

To his left was a much smaller boy, at least a head smaller than his friend. He had chin length hair, black at the roots and blonde towards the ends. He had golden, cat-like eyes, which were glued to his phone screen. He didn’t look like the kind of person to smile much, but he could see his shoulders shaking at something one of his friends said.

On the right of Rooster Head (Akaashi really didn’t know what else to call him) was a boy that looked to maybe be an inch shorter than him but still taller than Akaashi. He had wild grey spiked hair that had streaks of black in it. It reminded him of a great horned owl, and again, he had to stifle a laugh. He talked animatedly, hands gesturing wildly and smiling like it was the best thing in the world. He had wide, golden eyes, and Akaashi would be lying if he said they weren’t a little distracting.

The smaller boy turned to him, and Akaashi blinked, putting on a smile. “Is there anything that I can help you three find?” he asked, glancing between them all. His gaze settled on Owl Boy. Owl Boy looked back at him, and Akaashi swore he could see his face flush just a little.

“Not at the moment, no. But we’ll definitely flag you down if we need something,” Rooster Head said, tearing his gaze away from Owl Boy.

He nodded, bowing a little, and looked one last time at Owl Boy before turning and heading back to the register. Something about seeing his face flush a little had sent his heart aflutter, and he took a moment to calm down.

This was a new feeling for him. He’d never seen someone and felt like there were butterflies in his chest. Like he couldn’t form a coherent thought. Like any of this. But he’d read enough books to know what people called this feeling. Love.

He wrinkled his nose at the word, shaking his head. There’s no way it could be love. Love was something that occurred after knowing someone for months. Love was something that didn’t happen at a glance. And he didn’t believe in love at first sight. It was cliché and pointless and so utterly false in every sense of the word.

Akaashi took out a book and pushed all thoughts of love out of the way. Another perk to working there was that his manager didn’t mind if they read while at work, as long as they were attentive and available for any questions the customer might have. He flipped through the pages, scanning them until he found where he was (Akaashi used bookmarks, but had forgotten to bring one when he had started this book). He slowly let himself fall into the pages of the story.

It was a story about a knight wandering the lands outside of his kingdom, in search of something that had neither a name or a description. An item he was told to find by the mage of his kingdom. He was told that it was the only way to bring peace to a centuries old war. The knight was accompanied by an old friend who he’d found while wandering the lands. It had been a decade since they’d last seen each other, and while the knight knew that his quest was dangerous, he couldn’t bear to part with him.

Where he was in the book, the knight and his friend had traveled into a wooded area. Signs lined the overgrown path, their words faded. The knight could just barely make out the words ‘DANGER’ and ‘GO NO FURTHER’. He was hesitant in continuing, but his friend pushed on, as though nothing could stop him. Of course the knight had no choice but to follow him.

Akaashi flipped the page, completely engrossed in the story. The knight and his friend had made it further into the forest, the sunlight almost completely cutoff, and had just started talking about whether they should turn back or not when someone cleared their throat. He jumped, quickly closing the book on his hand and looking up. Owl Boy stood in front of him, shifting his weight slightly from side to side.

“Hi there, is there something I can help you find?” Akaashi asked, glancing down at the page number before completely closing the book and stowing it under the counter.

Owl Boy’s face flushed again, and he fidgeted a little. “I was wondering if you could maybe recommend a book for me?” he asked quietly, looking away in what he assumed might have been embarrassment.

Akaashi smiled, stepping around the counter. “I would be happy to. Are there any specifics that you’re looking for?”

“Something fantasy?” Owl Boy said. He bit his lip, and Akaashi’s heart stuttered slightly. He nodded, pushing that feeling away, and started walking towards the fantasy section. Owl Boy followed close behind.

“Anything else that you find interesting? Fantasy covers quite the literary field.” He glanced back to see Owl Boy thinking, his eyebrows furrowed a little, and he’d be lying if he didn’t think that it was a little cute. Not that he let himself think about it. He stowed that away for much, much later.

“Maybe something with dragons and knights? Medieval-esque I guess?” Owl Boy said, his face flushing again. Akaashi laughed a little, walking past a few bookshelves before turning left. He walked a little ways down before coming to a stop. His eyes scanned the spines of the books, his fingers grazing over them as he looked for what he was looking for.

“Aha!” He bent down and pulled out three books. They weren’t particularly long books, not compared to some of the other fantasy books they had. But they were still decently long -- 250 to 300 pages each. They didn’t have intricate covers, their titles written in golden script on green, red, and blue covers with vague pictures of things that happened from the books. Akaashi had only gotten the chance to read the first one, but it was one of his favourites.

He stood, spinning around with a rare smile. Owl Boy blinked wide eyes at him, standing just barely too close to him. He felt his face flush at the same time Owl Boy’s did, and he cleared his throat a little, taking a half step back as he readjusted the books in his arms. “These are a wonderful trilogy of books about a knight who is sent to find an object that is destined to save his kingdom from peril from the demon king. I’ve read the first one and really recommend it, and from what I’ve read about the other two, they are just as good.”

Akaashi could hear the excitement in his own voice, and he bit his lip, turning his gaze to the books in his hands. He always got this way about things he liked, especially when it came to books. It was one of the reasons he loved his job. Owl Boy laughed a little, and he looked up, seeing him smiling in a way that made his heart stutter again. “I think that sounds pretty awesome. I'll definitely take them.”

Owl Boy reached out a hand to take them, and Akaashi passed them over, their hands brushing just a little. It felt like fire licking at his fingers, sparks running up his arm. His face flushed again, and he turned quickly, starting down the aisle. “Is there anything else I can help you find?” he asked, his voice pitched a little higher than normal, and he berated himself for half a second before moving on.

“No, I think this is it. I should probably go find my friends and see if they’re ready. Thank you,” Owl Boy said. Akaashi nodded, walking back towards the counter while Owl Boy disappeared somewhere into the store.

He sighed when he got there, laying his head on folded arms on the counter. He hated this. The heart flutters and the flushed faces and the fire and sparks that ran across his skin. Hated that he knew that it was love. He didn’t want to have these feelings. Especially not with some owlish stranger.

Akaashi gave himself another five seconds to think about this before he lifted his head. He filed those thoughts away with the others in a place he wouldn’t touch. He pulled his book back out, continuing where he’d left off. Not that he got very far. He could hear footsteps coming towards the counter, and he looked up to find Owl Boy and his friends.

Rooster Head came up to the counter first, the smaller boy staying practically glued to his side. They had a decent sized stack of books with no two books from the same genre. “Did you find everything alright?” Akaashi asked, scanning books and placing them into bags.

“I’d like to think so. Kenma here had us in almost every section of the store,” Rooster Head said with a laugh. His friend -- Kenma -- shoved him a little, his face going red.

“It’s not like you were any better Kuroo. You kept taking books off the shelves just to put them back,” Kenma said. Rooster Head -- Kuroo -- made a noise of mock offense, and Akaashi laughed a little.

He slid the books towards Kenma while Kuroo paid for them (at which Akaashi gave a silent apology to his bank account), and the two stepped off to the side, bickering a little over their books. Owl Boy walked forward, placing the books Akaashi had given him on the counter along with a few manga volumes.

“Hey Bokuto, Kenma and I are going to head to the car. We’ll meet you there,” Kuroo said, already pushing Kenma out the door. Owl Boy -- Bokuto -- waved at them, turning his attention back to him.

“I’m sorry about them. Normally it’s Kuroo and I who cause trouble. But when it comes to books, those two are like kids in a candy shop,” Bokuto said, rubbing his neck.

“It’s definitely not a problem,” Akaashi said, bagging the books. “I can relate to that. Being here is so much better than a candy shop for me.” He froze for a second, realizing what he’d said too late. He felt his face burning, and he pushed the books across the counter.

Bokuto laughed a little, taking the bag and paying for the books. “I have to agree with you there. There’s just something about bookstores that’s so peaceful and calming. I can see why you’d want to work here.” Akaashi bit his lip and nodded, keeping his attention anywhere other than Bokuto. “Anyway, I’ll let you know what I think of the trilogy. You certainly seemed excited to show them to me.”

Akaashi’s face burned hotter, and he groaned, bringing his hands to his face. He could hear Bokuto laughing again. “I’m sorry. I don’t normally get so excited when I show customers books.”

“Don’t be. It was actually kind of cute,” Bokuto said, his voice going a little high. He peeked through his fingers and looked at him. Bokuto’s face was bright red but he was smiling softly. Akaashi’s heart fluttered, and in a surge of courage, he pulled out a notepad and grabbed a pen. He scribbled on it and tore off the top page, handing it to Bokuto.

“My number. So you can tell me about the books. Or, you know,” Akaashi said, pulling his hand away quickly. He was pretty sure if his face got any hotter, he’d pass out from heat stroke. “You should probably get going. I’m sure your friends are waiting for you.”

Bokuto nodded, eyes wide. He turned and walked towards the doors, giving Akaashi one last look before he disappeared, and Akaashi sighed, falling against the cold counter. He’d never given a stranger his number before. Never felt brave enough to. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out, seeing a text from an unknown number.

**UNKNOWN** : So you have my number  
**UNKNOWN** : This is Bokuto by the way

Akaashi laughed a little, adding him to his contacts under ‘Owl Boy’ before putting his phone away. He pulled his book back out, turning several pages until he got to where he’d left off. Maybe falling for a stranger wouldn’t be so bad.

**Author's Note:**

> Day One of BokuAka Week 2020!  
> The prompt I used was Bookstore AU, and really had a lot of fun writing this. The story that Akaashi is reading is one that I'm working on actually outlining to write!  
> Also, the playlist that Akaashi put on is actually a playlist I have that has a bunch of instrumental space music by Sleeping at Last!  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!


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